Recent research has shown that there is an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes within three years of Covid-19 infection.
This has led to more evidence establishing that the virus causes long health consequences, thus the need for constant vigilance and even treatment.
Three years after infection, the virus dramatically increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, new research warned yesterday in findings that discovered worrisome long-term health concerns for those who have battled COVID-19.
A study based on medical records from more than 250,000 people including over 11,000 Covid-positive cases from last year appeared yesterday in Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
Experts realized that individuals infected with the virus, particularly those cases severe enough to have been hospitalized, were at least three times more likely than those never infected with the virus to be suffering from serious cardiovascular events like heart attacks, strokes, even death than those who had never been exposed to Covid-19.
Some of Cleveland Clinic’s researchers, such as Dr. Stanley Hazen, were still in shock over this ongoing danger.
He noted “this is not typical of most infections” – highlighting that Covid-19 effects on the cardiovascular system are found to be very long-lasting.
Scientists suspect the virus might destabilize plaque in arteries, causing more frequent ruptures that can lead to heart attacks and strokes, though the exact process is unknown.
But hope is near. A study found that low-dose aspirin was shown to offer a reduced risk; this may indicate that taking precautions may minimize the virus’s long-term impact on heart health.
The studies refer to how important it is to monitor heart health, especially in patients who have experienced severe symptoms of Covid-19.
